U.S. patent application number 12/313147 was filed with the patent office on 2010-05-20 for method and system for presenting sponsored content.
This patent application is currently assigned to Escape Media Group, Inc.. Invention is credited to Josh Greenberg, Samuel Tarantino, III.
Application Number | 20100125507 12/313147 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42170412 |
Filed Date | 2010-05-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100125507 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tarantino, III; Samuel ; et
al. |
May 20, 2010 |
Method and system for presenting sponsored content
Abstract
Content items of a mixed content pool, which includes sponsored
and unsponsored content items, are identified as being relevant to
a target content item that has been presented to or supplied by a
user, and then the relevant content items are ranked. The ranking
evaluates the bid amount, if any, of the relevant content items,
and weights user acceptance of the relevant content items more
heavily than any bid amount. A related content item determined from
the ranking is then presented to the user.
Inventors: |
Tarantino, III; Samuel;
(Gainesville, FL) ; Greenberg; Josh; (Gainesville,
FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LERNER, DAVID, LITTENBERG,;KRUMHOLZ & MENTLIK
600 SOUTH AVENUE WEST
WESTFIELD
NJ
07090
US
|
Assignee: |
Escape Media Group, Inc.
Gainesville
FL
|
Family ID: |
42170412 |
Appl. No.: |
12/313147 |
Filed: |
November 17, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/14.69 ;
705/37; 707/E17.108 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/9535 20190101;
G06Q 40/04 20130101; G06Q 30/0273 20130101; G06Q 30/02
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/14.69 ;
707/E17.108; 705/37 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/00 20060101
G06Q030/00; G06F 17/30 20060101 G06F017/30; G06Q 40/00 20060101
G06Q040/00 |
Claims
1. A method for presenting content comprising: identifying, from a
content pool including unsponsored content items and sponsored
content items, content items relevant to a target content item
presented to a user, wherein a bid has been paid for each of the
sponsored content items and wherein a bid has not been paid for the
unsponsored content items; ranking the relevant content items,
wherein the ranking includes evaluating user acceptance levels of
the respective relevant content items and the amount of the bid for
each of the sponsored content items identified as one of the
relevant content items, and wherein, in the ranking, the user
acceptance level for the relevant content item is weighted more
than the amount of the bid for the relevant content item; and
presenting a related content item to the user subsequent the
presentation of the target content item, wherein the related
content item is the relevant content item determined to have a
predetermined rank by the ranking.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ranking includes at least one
of: determining content relevance of a first of the relevant
content items to the target content item relative to the content
relevance of at least one other relevant content item to the target
content item; determining historical relevance of the relevant
content items to the target content item; determining, for each of
the relevant content items, how many of the other relevant content
items have a similar property; or determining, for each of the
relevant content items, other contents items engaged with by users
who engaged with the relevant content item.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein a recommended bid price for a
first of the sponsored content items is determined as a function of
at least one of (i) the number of sponsors bidding on a first
target content item; (ii) popularity of the first target content
item; (iii) the number of presentations of the sponsored content
item over a defined time interval; (iv) the number of users
expected to be presented with the first target content item over a
predetermined time interval; or (v) specificity of information to
be used for targeting the first target content item.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: supplying to a sponsor
of a first of the sponsored content items at least one of: (i)
information on at least one property of a first content item
targeted by the first sponsored content item, (ii) information on
users to whom the first target content item has been presented; or
(iii) a suggestion of at least one content item for targeting.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising: supplying a sponsor of
a first of the sponsored content items with at least one of (i) an
estimate of an amount of exposure the first sponsored content item
would receive for a first bid; or (ii) an estimate of a bid that
would result in a desired amount of exposure for the first
sponsored content item.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising: converting a first of
the sponsored content items in the content pool to an unsponsored
content item if (i) the first sponsored content item has a user
acceptance level exceeding a predetermined threshold or (ii) the
first sponsored content item is presented at least a predetermined
number of times within a predetermined time interval.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying further
comprises: determining whether the number of sponsored content
items identified as the relevant content items exceeds a
predetermined number and, if yes, at least one of (i) removing at
least one of the sponsored content items as one of the relevant
content items, (ii) suggesting a content item other than the target
content item for targeting by the at least one of the relevant
sponsored content items; or (iii) providing for marketing of the at
least one of the relevant sponsored content items, using a portion
of the bid for the at least one of the relevant sponsored content
items.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the removing is based on at least
one of (i) the number of presentations of the relevant sponsored
content items within a predetermined time interval; (ii) the bids
of the respective relevant sponsored content items; or (iii) the
degree of specificity of targeting information for the relevant
sponsored content items.
9. The method of claim 1 further comprising: monitoring, for a
predetermined time interval, a user acceptance level of each of the
sponsored content items when the sponsored content items enter into
the mixed pool, and wherein during the time interval, the sponsored
content items being monitored is not presented as the related
content item more than a predetermined number of times.
10. The method of claim 1 further comprising: limiting presentation
of a first of the sponsored content items as the related content
item, until the first sponsored content item has a user acceptance
level exceeding a predetermined threshold.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the content items include
digital data.
12. A system for presenting content comprising: a server for
delivering content items to a plurality of users over a
communication network, wherein the server includes or is coupled to
a memory for storing sponsorship data representative of whether a
content item of a content pool containing a plurality of content
items is sponsored or unsponsored, wherein a bid has been paid for
each of the sponsored content items and wherein a bid has not been
paid for the unsponsored content items, and wherein the server
includes a processor operable for: identifying, from the content
pool, content items relevant to a target content item presented to
a user; ranking the relevant content items, wherein the ranking
includes evaluating user acceptance levels of the respective
relevant content items and the amount of the bid for each of the
sponsored contents items identified as one of the relevant content
items, and wherein, in the ranking, the user acceptance level is
weighted more than the amount of the bid for the relevant content
items; and providing for presentation of a related content item to
the user subsequent the presentation of the target content item,
wherein the related content item is the relevant content item
determined to have a predetermined rank by the ranking.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the ranking includes at least
one of: determining content relevance of a first of the relevant
content items to the target content item relative to the content
relevance of at least one other relevant content item to the target
content item; determining historical relevance of the relevant
content items to the target content item; determining, for each of
the relevant content items, how many of the other relevant content
items have a similar property; or determining, for each of the
relevant content items, other contents items engaged with by users
who engaged with the relevant content item.
14. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is operable for
determining a recommended bid for a first of the sponsored content
items as a function of at least one of (i) the number of sponsors
bidding on a first target content item; (ii) popularity of the
first target content item; (iii) the number of presentations of the
sponsored content item likely to occur over a defined time
interval; (iv) the number of users expected to be presented with
the first target content item over a predetermined time interval;
or (v) specificity of information to be used for targeting the
first target content item.
15. The system of claim 12, wherein the server is operable for
supplying, over the network, to a sponsor of a first of the
sponsored content items at least one of: (i) information on at
least one property of a first content item targeted by the first
sponsored content item, (ii) information on users to whom the first
target content item has been presented; or (iii) a suggestion of at
least one content item for targeting.
16. The system of claim 12, wherein the server is operable for
supplying, over the network, to a sponsor of a first of the
sponsored content items at least one of (i) an estimate of an
amount of exposure the first sponsored content item would receive
for a first bid; or (ii) an estimate of a bid that would result in
a desired amount of exposure for the first sponsored content
item.
17. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is operable for
converting the sponsorship data for a first of the sponsored
content items to that of an unsponsored content item if (i) the
first sponsored content item has a user acceptance level exceeding
a predetermined threshold or (ii) the first sponsored content item
is presented at least a predetermined number of times within a
predetermined time interval.
18. The system of claim 12, wherein the identifying further
comprises: determining whether the number of sponsored content
items identified as the relevant content items exceeds a
predetermined number and, if yes, at least one of (i) removing at
least one of the sponsored content items as one of the relevant
content items, (ii) suggesting a content item other than the target
content item for targeting by the at least one of the relevant
sponsored content items; or (iii) providing for marketing of the at
least one of the relevant sponsored content items, using a portion
of the bid for the at least one of the relevant sponsored content
items.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein the removing is based on at
least one of (i) the number of presentations of the relevant
sponsored content items within a predetermined time interval; (ii)
the bids of the respective relevant sponsored content items; or
(iii) the degree of specificity of targeting information for the
relevant sponsored content items.
20. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is operable for
monitoring, for a predetermined time interval, a user acceptance
level of each of the sponsored content items when the sponsored
content items initially enter into the mixed pool, and wherein,
during the time interval, the sponsored content items being
monitored is not presented as the related content item more than a
predetermined number of times.
21. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is operable for
limiting presentation of a first of the sponsored content items as
the related content item, until the first sponsored content item
has a user acceptance level exceeding a predetermined
threshold.
22. The system of claim 12, wherein the content items include
digital data.
23. The system of claim 12, where the content items include at
least one of audio data, video data or a combination of audio and
video data.
24. A method for presenting content comprising: identifying, from a
content pool including unsponsored content items and sponsored
content items, content items relevant to a target search query of a
user, wherein a bid has been paid for each of the sponsored content
items and wherein a bid has not been paid for the unsponsored
content items; ranking the relevant content items, wherein the
ranking includes evaluating user acceptance levels of the
respective relevant content items and the amount of the bid for
each of the sponsored content items identified as one of the
relevant content items, and wherein, in the ranking, the user
acceptance level for the relevant content item is weighted more
than the amount of the bid for the relevant content item; and
presenting a related content item to the user, wherein the related
content item is the relevant content item determined to have a
predetermined rank by the ranking.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the unsponsored content items
include at least one of (i) search results actually obtained from a
search on the target search query by a search engine and (ii)
search results for which a payment has been made to have the paid
search results displayed on a webpage with the search results
actually obtained from the search on the target search query; and
wherein the sponsored content items include search results for
which a bid amount has been paid.
26. A system for presenting content comprising: a server for
delivering content items to a plurality of users over a
communication network, wherein the server includes or is coupled to
a memory for storing sponsorship data representative of whether a
content item of a content pool containing a plurality of content
items is sponsored or unsponsored, wherein a bid has been paid for
each of the sponsored content items and wherein a bid has not been
paid for the unsponsored content items, and wherein the server
includes a processor operable for: identifying, from the content
pool, content items relevant to a target search query of a user;
ranking the relevant content items, wherein the ranking includes
evaluating user acceptance levels of the respective relevant
content items and the amount of the bid for each of the sponsored
contents items identified as one of the relevant content items, and
wherein, in the ranking, the user acceptance level is weighted more
than the amount of the bid for the relevant content items; and
providing for presentation of a related content item to the user,
wherein the related content item is the relevant content item
determined to have a predetermined rank by the ranking.
27. The system of claim 26, wherein the unsponsored content items
include at least one of (i) search results actually obtained from a
search on the target search query by a search engine and (ii)
search results for which a payment has been made to have the paid
search results displayed on a webpage with the search results
actually obtained from the search on the target search query; and
wherein the sponsored content items include search results for
which a bid amount has been paid.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Various internet websites provide for presentation of
digital content, such as songs, movies, video games, etc., to
users, who can access the websites from communication devices, such
as home computers, PDAs, cell phones, etc. The websites typically
provide that a user can specify a particular content item to be
obtained by the website, and then the specified content item is
presented by the website to the user after which the user can play
or view, as suitable, the presented content item. Some websites, in
addition, provide that a user can supply information to a website,
or information can be derived by the website based on content items
presented to the user, and that such information can be used by the
website to retrieve content items likely to be of interest to the
user ("recommended content items"), which are then presented to the
user. The user, in turn, can then decide whether to play or view
the recommended content items. For example, a user who desires to
be presented with a certain genre of musical songs, such as rock
and roll songs, can specify criteria, such as the name of a
musician, the genre of the music, the time period during which a
song was released, etc., and the website would retrieve and present
to the user songs having attributes that are the same as or similar
to the specified criteria.
[0002] Oftentimes, the author or distributor (sponsor) of a content
item desires to expose the content item, as quickly as possible, to
as many individuals as possible who are likely to be interested in
the content item. Quick and widespread exposure is desirable to the
sponsor, because this may increase sales of the content item, or
other content of the sponsor. Currently, the sponsor of a content
item can use advertising, such as banner advertisements on a
webpage, to promote the content item. In addition, some websites
present a newly available content item as a recommended content
item to users who are determined likely to have an interest in such
new content item, when user acceptance level for the new content
item attains a threshold. The time that it takes for the new
content item to be presented to a sufficiently large number of
individuals to whom the new content item is likely to be of
interest, however, still may be too long for its sponsor. In
addition, the likelihood that the new content item would be
presented to a sufficient number of individuals, such that a user
acceptance level satisfies a threshold that should result in
increased exposure for the new content item as a recommended
content item, is unknown and uncertain.
[0003] Therefore, there exists a need for increasing the likelihood
that a content item will be exposed more quickly to an increased
number of individuals who are likely to find the new content item
of interest.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention,
content items relevant to a target content item presented to a user
are identified by a processor, from a content pool including
content items for which a sponsorship bid has been paid and
unsponsored content items. The relevant content items are ranked by
the processor evaluating user acceptance levels of the respective
relevant content items and amounts of bids paid respectively for
sponsored content items identified as the relevant content items.
In ranking the relevant content items, the user acceptance level
for a relevant content item receives greater weight than the amount
of the bid for a relevant content item. Based on the ranking, a
related content item is presented to the user subsequent to the
presentation of the target content item, and the presentation can
include rendering of the related content item to the user, such as
playing or displaying the related content item to the user.
[0005] In one embodiment, a recommended bid price for sponsoring a
content item can be determined by a processor and provided to a
sponsor, where the determination can be based on (i) the number of
sponsors bidding on a target content item; (ii) the popularity of a
target content item; (iii) the number of presentations of the
sponsored content item that are likely to occur over a defined time
interval; (iv) the number of users expected to be presented with a
target content item over a predetermined time interval; and (v) the
specificity of the information to be used for targeting a content
item.
[0006] In another embodiment, the sponsor, during bidding on a
content item for sponsorship, can receive information on at least
one property of a targeted content item, information on users to
whom a target content item has been presented, and a suggestion of
at least one content item for targeting.
[0007] In a further embodiment, the sponsorship status of a content
item in the mixed content pool can be converted based on its user
acceptance level or its frequency of presentation to users during a
predetermined time interval.
[0008] In still another embodiment, the sponsored content items
identified as the relevant content items for a target content item
can be eliminated from consideration in the ranking if the number
of the relevant sponsored content items exceeds a threshold.
[0009] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, content
items relevant to a target search query of a user are identified by
a processor, from a content pool including search result content
items for which a sponsorship bid has been paid and unsponsored
search result content items. In one embodiment, the unsponsored
search result content items include at least one of (i) search
results actually obtained from a search on the target search query
by a search engine or (ii) search results for which a payment has
been made to have the paid search results displayed on a webpage
with the search results actually obtained from the search on the
target search query. The relevant search result content items are
ranked by the processor evaluating user acceptance levels of the
respective relevant content items and amounts of bids paid
respectively for sponsored content items identified as the relevant
content items. In ranking the relevant content items, the user
acceptance level for a relevant content item receives greater
weight than the amount of the bid for a relevant content item.
Based on the ranking, at least one related search result content
item is presented to the user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will
be apparent from the following detailed description of the present
preferred embodiments, which description should be considered in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference
indicate similar elements and in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system in accordance with an
aspect of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the
system of FIG. 1.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a process in accordance with an
aspect of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 4 is an exemplary screen display in accordance with an
aspect of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] For purposes of describing the method and system for
presenting a content item likely to be of interest to a user, from
a mixed content pool containing content items for which a sponsor
has paid a bid to increase the likelihood that the content item is
presented to the user ("sponsored content items") and content items
that are not sponsored ("unsponsored content items"), subsequent to
the presentation of a given content item to the user in accordance
with aspects of the present invention, the following definitions of
terms is provided.
DEFINITIONS
[0016] Mixed Content Pool: A collection of content items including
sponsored content items and unsponsored content items.
[0017] Sponsor: A party interested in increasing the likelihood of
presentation and engagement for its content item included within
the mixed content pool, in exchange for money, goods, services or
some other form of compensation.
[0018] Bidder: A sponsor who has placed a bid on a given content
item.
[0019] Bid: An amount that a sponsor pays for a portion of the
available opportunity for presentation resulting from the
presentation of a given content item or set of content items.
[0020] Content Item: A single piece of content material that is the
base unit for presentation within a mixed content pool.
[0021] Campaign: A period, selected by a bidder, in which a bid is
in effect for a given content item or set of content items.
[0022] Sponsored Content: A content item in the mixed content pool
that a bidder adds to a campaign to increase the likelihood of
presentation and engagement of the content item.
[0023] Unsponsored Content: A content item in the mixed content
pool that can be presented without the direct involvement of a
sponsor of the content item.
[0024] New Content Item: A content item recently introduced into
the mixed content pool which has an unverified external source, or
which contains elements suggestive of a lack of proper identifying
information or otherwise causing the content item to be
distinguished from other content items in the mixed content
pool.
[0025] Exposure: The presentation of a content item, or rendering
of the presented content item, such as playing or displaying the
content item, to a user.
[0026] Engagement: The rendering of a content item to a user,
initiated by the user.
[0027] User: An individual to whom a content item selected from the
mixed content pool can be presented.
[0028] Related Content Item: A content item from the mixed content
pool that is presented to a user as a direct result of the user
being presented or interacting with a preceding, target content
item which is determined to be related to the presented content
item.
[0029] In accordance with one aspect of the invention and as shown
in FIGS. 1 and 2, a content presentation system 10 can identify
content items, from a mixed content pool containing sponsored and
unsponsored content items, having a relevance to a target content
item previously presented to a user; rank the relevant content
items in view of any bids paid therefore and also user acceptance
levels; and present to the user a related content item determined
from the ranking of the relevant content items. The system 10 can
include client computers 12, 14, 16, which are used by sponsors or
users to communicate with a server computer 50 over a communication
network 60. Each of the computers 12, 14, 16 contains a processor
20, memory 22 and other components typically present in general
purpose computers. In addition, the server 50 contains a processor
70 and a memory 72.
[0030] The memory 22 stores information accessible by the processor
20, including instructions 24 that may be executed by the processor
20 and data 26 that may be retrieved, manipulated or stored by the
processor 20. Similarly, the memory 72 stores information
accessible by processor 70, including instructions 76 that may be
executed by the processor 70 and data 74 that may be retrieved,
manipulated or stored by the processor 70. The memory may be of any
type capable of storing information accessible by the processor,
such as a hard-drive, memory card, ROM, RAM, DVD, CD-ROM,
write-capable, read-only memories.
[0031] The processors 20, 70 may comprise any number of well known
processors, such as processors from Intel Corporation.
Alternatively, the processors may be a dedicated controller such as
an ASIC.
[0032] The instructions 24, 76 may comprise any set of instructions
to be executed directly (such as machine code) or indirectly (such
as scripts) by the processors 20, 70, respectively. In that regard,
the terms "instructions," "steps" and "programs" may be used
interchangeably herein. The instructions may be stored in object
code form for direct processing by the processor, or in any other
computer language including scripts or collections of independent
source code modules that are interpreted on demand or compiled in
advance. The functions, methods and routines of instructions in
accordance with the present invention are explained in more detail
below.
[0033] The data 26, 74 may be retrieved, stored or modified by the
processors 20, 70 in accordance with the instructions 24, 76,
respectively. The data may be stored as a collection of data. For
instance, although the invention is not limited by any particular
data structure, the data may be stored in computer registers, in a
relational database as a table having a plurality of different
fields and records, XML documents, or flat files. The data may also
be formatted in any computer readable format such as, but not
limited to, binary values, ASCII or EBCDIC (Extended Binary-Coded
Decimal Interchange Code). Moreover, the data may comprise any
information sufficient to identify the relevant information, such
as descriptive text, proprietary codes, pointers, references to
data stored in other memories (including other network locations)
or information which is used by a function to calculate the
relevant data.
[0034] Although the processor and memory are functionally
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 within the same block, it will be
understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the processor
and memory may actually comprise multiple processors and memories
that may or may not be stored within the same physical housing. For
example, some of the instructions and data may be stored on
removable CD-ROM and others within a read-only computer chip. Some
or all of the instructions and data may be stored in a location
physically remote from, yet still accessible by, the processor.
Similarly, the processor may actually comprise a collection of
processors which may or may not operate in parallel.
[0035] In one embodiment, each client computer may be a general
purpose computer, intended for use by a person, having all the
internal components normally found in a personal computer such as a
central processing unit (CPU), display 30, input 32 such as a
CD-ROM drive, mouse, keyboard or microphone, and a hard-drive,
speakers, modem and/or router (telephone, cable or otherwise) and
all of the components used for connecting these elements to one
another. Moreover, computers in accordance with the systems and
methods described herein may comprise any device capable of
processing instructions and transmitting data to and from humans
and other computers, including network computers lacking local
storage capability, PDAs with modems and Internet-capable wireless
phones. Although the only input means shown in FIG. 1 are the mouse
and keyboard, other means for inputting information from a human
into a computer are also acceptable such as a microphone,
touch-sensitive screen, voice recognition, etc.
[0036] The server 50 and the client computers 12, 14, 16 are
capable of direct and indirect communication, such as over the
network 60. Although only a few client computers and a single
server are depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, it should be appreciated that
a typical system can include a large number of connected computers
and several servers to which the computers can connect, with each
different computer being at a different node of the network. The
network, and intervening nodes, may comprise various configurations
and protocols including the Internet, intranets, virtual private
networks, wide area networks, local networks, private networks
using communication protocols proprietary to one or more companies,
Ethernet, WiFi and HTTP. Such communication may be facilitated by
any device capable of transmitting data to and from other
computers, such as modems (e.g., dial-up or cable), networks and
wireless interfaces. In one embodiment, the server 50 may be a web
server, and the client computers include browsers for facilitating
communications with the server 50. Although certain advantages are
obtained when information is transmitted or received as noted
above, other aspects of the invention are not limited to any
particular manner of transmission of information. For example, in
some aspects, the information may be sent via a medium such as a
disk, tape, CD-ROM.
[0037] The information may also be transmitted over a global or
private network, or directly between two computer systems, such as
via a dial-up modem. In other aspects, the information may be
transmitted in a non-electronic format and manually entered into
the system.
[0038] Referring to FIG. 2, the data 74 in the server 50 includes
information relating to sponsored content items in a mixed content
pool, such as bid paid for a sponsored content item; information
for determining relevancy in relation to another content item;
information for targeting a specific content item or set of content
items; and user acceptance levels. In addition, the data 74
includes user acceptance levels and information for determining the
relevancy of unsponsored content items in the mixed content pool.
Further, the data 74 includes information of properties of a
content item for which a related content item from the mixed
content pool can be selected ("target content item") and then
presented to a user by the server 50, and characteristics of users
to which the server 50 presents a target content item.
[0039] The instructions 76 can contain instructions that the
processor 70 can execute to control creation of a sponsored content
campaign, which includes determining and then providing to a
sponsor a recommended bid price for a content item in a mixed
content pool that the sponsor desires to convert into a sponsored
content item; to rank content items from the mixed content pool
identified as relevant to a target content item for determining a
related content item to be presented to a user following the
presentation of the target content item to the user; and to assess
the status, such as popularity or user acceptance, of a content
item in the mixed content pool and perform suitable actions, such
as converting a sponsored content item to an unsponsored content
item or providing alternative exposure mechanisms for a sponsored
content item that likely would not have increased exposure based on
sponsorship. The processor 70 performs the instructions in the
memory 76 using the data 74, which includes information supplied by
sponsors and information collected or created by the server 50
based on presentation of content items in the mixed content pool to
users and engagement of the presented content items by users. In
one embodiment, the content items in the mixed content pool can
include content items targeted by sponsors.
[0040] In addition to the operations illustrated in FIGS. 1-2,
operations in accordance with a variety of aspects of the inventive
method will now be described. It should be understood that the
following operations do not have to be performed in the precise
order described below. Rather, various steps can be handled in
reverse order or simultaneously.
[0041] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, content
items of a mixed content pool are identified as sponsored and
unsponsored content items and with information that can be used to
determine the extent of relatedness between the content item and a
target content item previously presented to a user, and the
sponsorship and the information for determining the extent of
relatedness are used in combination with information representative
of a level of user acceptance of a content item to determine which
of the content items identified as being relevant to the target
content item to present to the user following the presentation of
the target content item.
[0042] In one embodiment, the server 50 defines a mixed content
pool that is continuously changing based on available content items
that can be accessed by the server 50 over the network and then can
be transmitted, such as by streaming, to users at the client
computers 14, 16. For purposes of illustration, the,content items
are audio songs which are stored on content websites and the server
50 can retrieve from the content websites for transmission to
users, based on a licensing arrangement between the server 50 and
the content websites. Alternatively, the content items are provided
directly to the server 50 by respective sponsors and stored in the
memory 72, where the sponsors permit the server 50 to present such
content items to users, upon request by the user, or automatically
based on a related content item determination by the processor 70
of the server 50 as discussed in detail below. For purposes of
illustrating the inventive features, reference is made below to an
exemplary screen display of a webpage shown in FIG. 4, where the
display would be generated at a client computer being used by a
user who is accessing the server 50. Referring to FIG. 4, the
webpage includes a listing of the names of the audio songs
presented to the user, in the order presented, with the song being
played highlighted and with the related content items Sponsored
Song 1 and Sponsored Song 2, as determined in accordance with
aspects of the present invention, shown with a marking "sponsored"
to indicate sponsorship and as being presented to the user
immediately after the presentation of the songs of Violet Hill by
Coldplay and War by U2, which are content items requested by the
user and targeted by the Sponsored Song 1 and Sponsored Song 2,
respectively. In an alternative embodiment, the related content
items can be displayed to the user without any indication of
sponsorship.
[0043] In alternative embodiments, the content items can be videos,
electronic video games, publications, or any form of content that
can be converted into a digital file for presentation to a
user.
[0044] In one embodiment, a content item of the mixed content pool
can become identified as a sponsored content item in the memory 74
of the server 50 by its sponsor using a computer, such as the
client computer 12, to interact with the server 50 and create a
sponsored content campaign. In the creation of a campaign, the
sponsor can define targeting options. The targeting options can
include the identification of specific content items to be
targeted. In addition, a targeting option can include criteria to
be used for selection of target content items. The criteria can
include initial date of public distribution of a target content
item; popularity, such as number of plays, views, downloads and/or
subscriptions for a predetermined time interval or since the
original date of distribution of the target content item; any type
of metric that can describe a relationship between content items,
such as genre of a song, mood associated with a song, how specific
or to what extent the content item must be related to the target
content item, such as a minimum level of popularity for the target
content item, etc.; number of bids submitted by sponsors of content
items to the server 50 for the available opportunities of
presentation for a target content item; the maximum bid for a
target content item; and the minimum bid for a target content item.
In addition, the server 50 stores, as the data 74 in the memory 72,
various data regarding content items targeted by sponsors. As
discussed in detail below, a sponsor can pay a bid for a content
item, thereby converting the unsponsored content item in the mixed
content pool to a sponsored content item, to increase the
likelihood that the sponsored content item would be presented to,
and furthermore engaged by, a user following the presentation to
the user of the content item targeted by the sponsor, thereby
increasing the likelihood of exposure of the sponsored content item
to users likely to have an interest in the sponsored content
item.
[0045] In a further embodiment, the targeting options can include
properties of users ("target users") to which the target content
item has been presented. The properties of the target users can
include the geographical location of the target user, which can be
determined based on the IP address of the client computer used by
the target user to access the server 50; other types of content
items within the mixed content pool of interest to the target user,
for example, content items previously presented to the target user;
other interest information of the target user, such as may be
provided to the server 50 by external third parties, such as the
website FACEBOOK, who collect user interest information; and
demographical information of the target user, such as age, gender,
etc., that may be submitted by the target user during an optional
registration with the server 50.
[0046] In still a further embodiment, the targeting options can
include a total budget defining how much can be paid by a sponsor
for its bids within the period of the campaign; and a daily budget,
which defines a maximum a sponsor can spend to have its sponsored
content items presented each day. For example, referring to FIG. 4,
in the event the song Violet Hill by Coldplay is a target content
item having a preset bid requirement for presentation of a
sponsored content item thereafter, if the daily budget for a
sponsor targeting the song Violet Hill for its sponsored content
item is below the preset bid requirement, the sponsored content
item of the sponsor would not be considered to be a sponsored
content item, for purposes of ranking of the relevant content items
to determine a related content item to be presented after the
target content item.
[0047] In another embodiment, the targeting options can include a
desired amount and types of exposure for the sponsored content
item. The types of exposure, for example, can include views, such
as where the sponsored content item is a video; plays, such as
where the sponsored content item is an audio song; and the amount
of time the sponsored content item is presented to a user, such as
how long a webpage displayed to the user displays the sponsored
content item. In addition, the type of exposure can be a function
of the interests of the target user to whom the sponsored content
item is presented, where the exposure is weighted more heavily
based on the expected amount of interest the target user would have
in the sponsored content item. For example, the presentation of a
series of content items to a user having an interest in the genre
of music for each of the content items of the series would
constitute a greater extent of exposure than the presentation of a
single content item to a user who has a relatively low level of
interest in the genre of the content item, as determined from
interest information for the user stored in the memory 72.
[0048] In another embodiment, the campaign can include timeframe
parameters, such as a start date, an end date, and times of day and
dates on which the campaign is inactive.
[0049] In a further embodiment, during creation of a sponsored
content campaign, the server 50 can provide bidding information,
automatically or manually, to a sponsor at the client computer 12
for guiding the bidding. The bidding information can include an
estimate of the number of presentations and user engagements for a
content item based on a subject bid, where the bid can be for any
of the types of exposure, as set forth above.
[0050] The bidding information also can include an estimate of an
optimal bid that a sponsor needs to make to maximize the likelihood
that a content item receives a desired amount of presentation and
user engagements, for any of the types of exposure as set forth
above. A recommended bid price for the sponsored content can be
determined according to the expected available supply of
opportunities for presentation for a target content item and the
demand for this supply, such as, for example, based on the number
of sponsors desiring to obtain a portion of the available
opportunities for presentation for a target content item; and the
popularity of the target content item, such as measured by the
number times the target content item is presented to users during a
single time interval, such as a week or month. In addition, the
recommended bid price can be based on the overall amount of
presentations that has resulted for all bidders for the target
content item, in other words, the relative exposure for sponsors
targeting the target content item. For example, the relative
exposure for a target content item would be high where target users
are likely to engage (play) a song recommendation presented after a
song that has been requested by the target users, rather than the
target users requesting another song and, effectively, ignoring the
presentation of the recommended song.
[0051] In still a further embodiment, a recommended bid price can
be determined based on the number of users expected to be presented
with a target content item, and the specificity of the targeting
information. For example, the recommended bid price would be
greater for a target content item having a larger expected number
of users to which the target item would be presented than that for
a target content item expected to be presented to a smaller number
of users. For instance, the recommended bid price for a sponsored
content item to be presented after a targeted rap song would exceed
that for the presentation of a sponsored content item after a
targeted classical song, based on classical songs being requested
by less users than rap songs. In another embodiment, the
recommended bid price would be greater where very specific and
detailed target criteria is used, such that the sponsored content
item would be presented only if a target content item satisfies all
or substantially all of the targeting criteria. For example, the
targeting criteria can require that a target song be by a specific
artist, during a specific period of time and having certain tempo,
such as a rock ballad sung by Bon Jovi during the 1980s.
[0052] In another embodiment, the server 50 can provide to the
sponsor suggested content targeting information during the bidding
process. The suggested content targeting information can include a
level of exposure of a content item, such as the number of times a
targeted content item was presented or played during a time period;
a level of user acceptance of a content item thus far; and the
number of bidders already having a campaign targeting the same
content item.
[0053] In still another embodiment, the suggested content targeting
information from the server 50 can include incentives based on
purchase of a bid for one or more content items. For example, the
incentive can be a price discount based on the purchase of bids for
a predetermined number of specific content items to be targeted. In
another alternative, a discount can be provided to a sponsor who is
the first to bid on a specific content item.
[0054] In one embodiment, the processor 70 of the server 50, prior
to opening of bidding for sponsorship of a content item in the
mixed content pool, initially confirms whether a party is a
rightful owner of the content item to be sponsored. The
confirmation can be obtained based on the previous history of the
relationship between the party and the sponsorship program
implemented by the server 50, such as whether the party received a
good standing certification based on past sponsorship agreements
entered into with the program. In addition, the confirmation can be
obtained based on validation of the party's identification
information with a third party performing such validations.
Alternatively, the confirmation can be obtained based on the
popularity of the content item to be sponsored. For example,
ownership of a less popular content item can be confirmed with the
submission of less validating information than that required for a
content item that is already very popular based on the number of
times it was presented per day, week, etc. Further, the
confirmation can be obtained based on a prior confirmation of the
ownership of the content item where the content item had been
converted from unsponsored to sponsored but the campaign for the
sponsored content item had been terminated, thereby converting the
sponsored content item to a unsponsored content item in the mixed
content pool.
[0055] In a further embodiment, the campaign can include multiple
sponsored content items, each having distinct targeting
options.
[0056] In another embodiment, the fee for the bid is paid by the
sponsor to the server 50 via conventional electronic payment
mechanisms.
[0057] FIG. 3 illustrates steps of an exemplary method 200 for
presenting a content item from a mixed content pool to a user,
based on ranking of unsponsored and sponsored content items of the
mixed content pool identified as being relevant to a target content
item, where the ranking is based at least upon user acceptance
levels of the relevant content items and where the bid price of
sponsored content items identified as relevant content items
impacts the ranking.
[0058] In block 202, the server 50 continuously collects
information identifying various characteristics of the content
items in a mixed content pool, following entry of a content item
into the content pool. The server 50 is notified, or becomes aware
of the existence, of a new content item available for entry into
the content pool, such as by identification of the content item by
a web crawler that uncovers a content item becoming available for
play or download on content websites, or by a sponsor of the new
content item directly contacting the server 50. For each content
item in the mixed content pool, the server 50 collects and stores
in the data 74 of the memory 72 information identifying the content
item, such as the author, first date of distribution, genre, etc.,
and also sponsorship status information, such as the date on which
a content item became a sponsored content item in the content
pool.
[0059] In one embodiment, when a content item in the pool initially
becomes a sponsored content item ("new sponsored content item"),
the processor 70 of the server 50, for a predetermined time
interval ("test interval"), monitors the level of acceptance by
users to whom the new content item is presented. For example, when
a user at the client computer 14 is accessing the server 50 and is
presented by the server 50 with the new sponsored content item, the
web interface of the server 50 provides that the user can supply
input to the server 50 representative of whether the user finds the
new sponsored content item to his or her liking, as is conventional
in the art. Referring to FIG. 4, the input, for example, can be a
rating between 1 and 100, where 100 is the highest level of
acceptance and 1 is the lowest level of acceptance, and stored by
the server 50 in the memory 72. The processor 70 averages the user
acceptance levels for the new content item supplied by users during
the test interval, and supplies the current, average user
acceptance level to a user upon presentation of the new content
item following a target content item.
[0060] In one embodiment, during the test interval, the identifying
information for the new sponsored content item can be a limitation
upon the presentation of the new sponsored content item by the
server 50 to a user. For example, the new sponsored content item
cannot be presented at all, or alternatively more than a
predetermined number of times, following the presentation of a
selected target content item(s). The processor 70, after a
predetermined time has elapsed during the test interval, or at the
end of the test interval, compares the user acceptance level for
the new sponsored content item to a threshold level. Depending on
the results of the comparison, the processor 70 can remove the new
sponsored content item from the content pool, such as if the user
acceptance level is below the threshold by at least a predetermined
amount; demote the new content item, such that the bid for the new
content item receives less weight in the ranking, as discussed
below in connection with block 208 of the process 200; or further
evaluate, automatically or manually, the new sponsored content item
to determine whether the targeting criteria is appropriate. In the
event the user acceptance level for the new sponsored content item
is equal to or exceeds the threshold level, the new sponsored
content item is no longer identified as a new sponsored content
item of the mixed content pool, such that the new sponsored content
item is thereafter considered for ranking and presentation purposes
with other sponsored content items and unsponsored content items of
the mixed content pool, as discussed below in connection with block
208 of the method 200.
[0061] In a further embodiment, the processor 70 can implement
monitoring of a content item newly entered into the mixed content
pool that is not sponsored over a test interval, and perform
operations similar to those described above for new sponsored
content items, which can result in the removal of the new content
item from the mixed content pool or eliminate a "new"
identification for the content item from the memory 72.
[0062] In another embodiment, the processor 70 can perform manual
or automatic evaluations to control whether a content item can be
sponsored to target a specific content item, such as where the
owner of the target content item has an agreement with the server
50 limiting content items that can be presented thereafter to those
having specific characteristics, such as specific artist(s),
minimum number of presentations per day, etc.
[0063] In still a further embodiment, in block 202, the processor
70 can determine, during the bidding process, whether a content
item from the mixed content pool is already so popular, for
example, based on number of presentations per day, week, etc., such
that sponsorship of such content item would not ordinarily increase
the exposure of the content item. In such circumstances, the server
50 can provide such information to a sponsor at the client computer
12 and, instead of sponsorship, offer to provide for: (i) external
advertising, promotion or marketing of the content item, based on
relationships the server 50 may have with third party advertisers;
and (ii) internal advertising, promotion or marketing of the
content item, such as by displaying a thumbnail image of the
content item on the same webpage on which the thumbnail images of
the audio songs are presented to the user, as shown in FIG. 4.
[0064] In addition, in another embodiment, the processor 70 can
determine, during the bidding, that it is appropriate to reallocate
the sponsorship of a content item, so that more direct targeting of
the content item can occur. For example, if the processor 70
determines that there are already so many sponsors whose sponsored
content items are targeting a specific content item, the processor
70 can suggest that a sponsor also seeking to target the same
target content item, instead, target another content item, such
that the likelihood of presentation of the sponsored content item
to a user increases.
[0065] In block 204, the processor 70 of the server 50 can
determine when a user accessing the server 50, such as at the
client computer 14, has been presented with a content item, for
which a related content item is then determined from the mixed
content pool and presented to the user. It is to be understood that
the presentation of a content item to the user can include the
display of a thumbnail image representative of the content item,
such as a song, on the bottom of a webpage displayed on the
computer 12, such as shown in FIG. 4. The presentation of the
target content item, for example, the song War by U2, can result
from a specific request by the user. Alternatively, the
presentation can be based on performance of the process 200, which
provides for presentation of a related content item in block 210 as
discussed below.
[0066] In block 206, the processor 70 retrieves from the memory 72
identifying information for the target content item, such as
artist, genre, original date of distribution, etc. Further, the
processor 70 compares the identifying information for the target
content item with identifying information for all other content
items in the mixed content pool. The comparison is performed to
identify those content items in the mixed content pool having at
least some relevancy to the target content item, such that if the
content item were to be presented as a recommended content item
("related content item") to the user to which the target content
item was presented, the user is expected to likely find the related
content item to be of interest and, thus, play or view the related
content item. Based on the comparison, the processor 70 can
identify from the mixed content pool both sponsored content items
and unsponsored content items that have at least some relevancy to
the target content item.
[0067] In block 208, the processor 70 evaluates the identifying
information for the respective relevant content items identified in
block 206, and ranks the relevant content items for purposes of
presenting a related content item selected from the relevant
content items based on evaluation of their identifying information.
In the ranking, the processor 70 determines whether the relevant
content item is sponsored and, if yes, the amount of the bid for
the sponsored content item. Further, as part of the ranking, the
processor 70 can determine the relative relevance to the target
content item, in other words, how similar is the relevant content
item to the target content item, and assign an appropriate relative
relevance level. In addition, the processor 70 retrieves from the
data 74 in the memory 72 the user acceptance levels for respective
relevant content items. In one embodiment, for each relevant
content item, the amount of the bid amount, a relative relevance
level and the user acceptance level are normalized; weightings are
then applied to the normalized levels; and the weighted levels are
summed to obtain a rank number. Thus, the weightings can be
apportioned such that sponsored relevant content items, based on
their bid amount, have an increased likelihood of being presented
to the user when ranked against unsponsored relevant content items
having similar relevance and user acceptance levels. In one
embodiment, the weighting applied to the normalized bid amount is
not sufficient to elevate substantially the rank number of a
sponsored relevant content item having a relatively low user
acceptance level. Consequently, the ranking desirably places
greater weight on the user acceptance level than the bid amount
level.
[0068] In one embodiment, the relative relevance level can be
determined by a content matching process performed by the processor
70 using data in the memory 72 accumulated by the server 50 based
on presentation of content items to users, or obtained by the
server 50 from external sources. For example, the content matching
process can have the processor 70 identify, from the data in the
memory 72, the number of users to whom the relevant content item
was presented by the server 50, and also other content items in the
mixed content pool that were presented by the server 50 to the same
user(s). The number of users to which the relevant content item has
been presented determines the relevancy relative to another
relevant content item. In another embodiment, the server 50 can
evaluate identifying information received from third parties that
describe a content item, such as the genre of a content item not
otherwise identified with such information when entering the mixed
content pool, and recommendation information from third parties
specifically identifying content items to be recommended for
presentation following presentation of a particular content
item.
[0069] Further in block 208, the processor 70 can evaluate a
historical relevance of the relevant content item in relation to
the target content item, based on the identity of the creator,
advertiser or sponsor of the relevant content item and if one or
more of these entities match that of the target content item.
Further, the processor 70 can evaluate whether the relevant content
item itself previously had been presented following the
presentation of the target content item. The results of such
determinations can be used to determine the relative relevance
level.
[0070] Also in block 208, the processor 70 can evaluate how many
sponsored content items and unsponsored content items in the mixed
content pool have one or more of the same identifying attributes,
and use such information to determine a level of similarity of the
relevant content item to all other available content items in the
mixed content pool. The level of similarity can be used to
determine the relative relevance level, or constitute a separately
weighted factor normalized together with the bid amount, user
acceptance level and relative relevance level.
[0071] In a further embodiment, in block 208, the processor 70 can
determine if the number of sponsored content items of respective
sponsors targeting a target content item exceeds the number of
expected opportunities for presentation for the target content
item. For example, there may be 1000 bidders sponsoring 1000
different, respective content items, where each of the sponsored
content items specifically targets a single artist having 10
content items for which only 50 opportunities for presentation are
expected to exist. If the determination is that the number of
targeting sponsored content items exceeds the number of
opportunities for presentation for the targeted content item, the
server 50 can perform a dilution, in which the distribution of
exposure for each bidder is re-allocated based on the relative bid
amounts, and optionally other variables that can include
popularity, user acceptance level, number of bids and historical
information available from sponsors concerning the presentation and
engagement of the sponsored content items, such that the number of
sponsored content items targeting the target content item is
reduced. Thus, for the ranking of the target content item, one or
more of the sponsored content items identified as a relevant
content item in block 206 are eliminated as relevant content items
in block 208, such that they are not considered in the ranking. In
a further embodiment, the processor 70 can recommend an increased
bid amount to a sponsor if the number of sponsored content items of
the sponsors which target a content item exceeds a predetermined
amount.
[0072] In one embodiment, the server 50 can perform a dilution by
decreasing the weighting on the bid amount for sponsored content
items having bids lower than other bids; or by decreasing the
weighting on the relevance level for sponsored content items whose
relevance level is less than that of other sponsored content items,
or which include less detailed targeting information than that of
other sponsored content item. In a further embodiment, the server
50 can eliminate bid amounts that are so much less than other bid
amounts competing for the same available opportunities for
presentation for the same content item(s). In another embodiment,
content items that have a relevancy level below a minimum required
level can be eliminated as a relevant content item included in the
ranking. For example, if there are first, second and third bids of
$2.00, $3.00 and $5.00, respectively, for the same content item or
set of content items, assuming that all other variables, such as
user acceptance level and popularity, from which the ranking of a
relevant content item is performed, remain constant, the first,
second and third bids likely may be presented about 20%, 30% and
50% of the time, respectively, following the target content item.
In actuality, however, variables such as user acceptance and
popularity are unlikely to remain constant, such that actual
distributions of presentations of the sponsored content items are a
function of the bid amount and highly influenced by the actual
success, as measured primarily by user acceptance level, of the
sponsored content item within the mixed content pool.
[0073] In block 210, the server 50 can cause the related content
item having the greatest rank number, as determined in block 208,
to be presented to the user to whom the target content item was
presented. Referring to FIG. 4, the Sponsored Song 2 is presented
in the play list immediately following the song War by U2 currently
being played, which became the target content item based on the
specific request for play by the user. In one embodiment, one or
more related content items, such as the related content item having
the largest and next largest rank numbers, are presented to the
user in sequence immediately after the presentation of the target
content item. The related content item can be displayed with its
current user acceptance level, and the user can decide to have the
related content item played, or alternatively request another song
to be retrieved and played. In another embodiment, the related
content item can be automatically rendered, such that a related
song can be played automatically after play of the song requested
by the user is completed. Further, the user can supply input, via
the webpage, of a user acceptance level for the related content
item, upon play thereof.
[0074] In a further embodiment, the processor 70 can periodically
determine whether a sponsored content item of the mixed content
pool should be converted to an unsponsored item. The processor 70
can convert the sponsored content item to an unsponsored content
item, such as after a campaign has terminated, if, based on the
data stored in the memory 72 for the sponsored content item, the
user acceptance level exceeds a threshold level or other defined
minimum criteria are satisfied, such as at least a threshold number
of presentations, plays or views of the sponsored content item
occurs each day, week, etc.
[0075] In a further embodiment, the processor 70 can, periodically
or based on requests by sponsors, retrieve data from the memory 72
representing the types of exposure for a sponsored content item;
performance of any of the properties of a target content item, such
as demographic information of users to whom, and how may times, the
target content item was presented and the identity of the content
items presented thereafter as related content items; and
performance of the properties of target users, such as demographic
information describing the age, gender, geographic location, etc.
of the users to which the sponsored content item was presented as a
related content item.
[0076] In another aspect of the invention, the content items of the
mixed content pool can be search results for respective queries
searched using an internet search engine. The mixed content pool
includes search results actually obtained ("actual search results")
from a search on a query by the search engine; search results for
which a payment has been made ("paid search results") to have the
paid search results displayed on a webpage with the actual search
results for the query; and search results for which a bid amount
has been paid ("sponsored search results") to have the search
results considered together with the actual and paid search
results, for purposes of presentation to the user submitting the
query. The server 50, which may or may not include the search
engine, stores in its memory 72 information of the bid amount, the
user acceptance level and relative relevance level of the search
results for a specific query. The user acceptance level can be a
function of the number of times the webpage to which a search
result is linked was clicked through to from the search result
webpage, and also how long the user displayed the linked to
webpage. In a further embodiment, the processor 70 of the server 50
can determine a relative relevance level for a search result
targeting a particular query based on the number of times the
search result was previously obtained for the query, the number of
times the query has been used in a search and the user acceptance
level for the search result in relation to the user acceptance
level for other search results returned for the search query. In
one embodiment, the processor 70 can rank the relevant, identified
actual, paid and sponsored search results targeting a search query
using the bid amount, if any, the relative relevance level and the
user acceptance level, for determining a related search result for
presentation, similarly as described above, and thus provide for an
increased likelihood of having the sponsored search result
presented on the webpage containing the search results for the
targeted search query based on its bid amount. In one embodiment,
the processor 70 can provide that the ranked search results are
listed on a webpage in a single listing, starting from the highest
rank number as determined by ranking performed similarly as
described above, and where the ranked search results include any of
the actual, paid and sponsored search results in the mixed content
pool.
[0077] Although the invention herein has been described with
reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that
these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and
applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be
understood that numerous modifications may be made to the
illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *